it doesn't matter. the only criteria is what will people we shed light on the opaque world who's behind the benefits and why are they a threat to us all hope peak world starts january 5th on d, w. ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin, fleeing dangerous fires in the american state of colorado, tens of thousands of people are forced to evacuate as powerful winds and dry

conditions. fuel the fast moving flames. the russian at american presidents talked to keep the door open for diplomacy. all the kremlin troop filled up around ukraine . neither side wants to give in to the others, demands. also coming up south africa list a night time curfew is optimism growth that it's on a crowned wave has passed. the number of new code cases has dropped by nearly 30 percent in a week in the hospital admissions are down. ah next, spicer, welcome to the program. tens of thousands of residents of the american state of colorado have been forced to evacuate due to quickly spreading wildfires. hundreds of homes have been destroyed and some of the worst fires the state has ever seen.

powerful winds have fueled the fast moving flames, which come after an unusually drug people have been injured since the fires began. and we can speak now to us based journalist and meteorologist matthew caput you who joined us from washington, d. c. matthew, a congressman for color, colorado says the wild fires have caused a level of devastation. never before seen. does that sound about right? personally i'd be pretty comfortable saying that back in just a $1000000000.00 is aspen, colorado, ordinarily there hailstorm because we called in the mile high city, your mile of the atmosphere, see a cold air to get hailstorm, but with fires ordinarily, we see these areas that are very against the popular but this time around we're seeing it in downtown area is the middle of near walmart, a cosco, very dense population. and so to see this in neighborhood character, at least 580 homes is partially unprecedented centennial state and something that we haven't really seen before. and i have a feeling you're going to answer by talking somehow about global warming. but i

need to say that it's the middle of winter. shouldn't it be snowing in colorado? yeah, this really has been the weirdest fall on record that i remember at least about one centimeter, where a snowfall in denver they saw the latest 1st know on record feeding out all other years. in fact, in the past, the latest person we saw november the summer and was around december, i think 8 or 9. so really bizarre. stop there. that we saw that when the war was years on record to which it backwards more was route, really just kind of disk usage rise up the landscape. and so the fact that you buy with very strong wind this evening to upwards of 100 kilometers per hour really is the worst case scenario event. and unfortunately, we're seeing as fire spread to more than $600.00 actors. and just a final question, if i may, the governor of colorado says there is very little time to get out of who's he talking about? what does he mean the most enduring urban areas. the one thing that we were about

now is that a lot of folks are building what's called the urban, the wildly urban interface. kind of at the border of town is that bridge area outside of towns right along kind of the woodland areas. and lot of those in recent years have been billing. there were some divisions there, and unfortunately many people don't have adequate escape routes to evacuate when they need you. ordinarily the roadways you have are adequate to supply traffic. but when it talks, when it comes to a high end of that situation alone, leave to get out of dodge quickly. we just don't have the roadways needs. you really hand that capacity. and so when they say people need to back with now it's urgent, it's dire, and the stands are these plans rather than by very strong weeds upwards of a 110124 hours coming down the mountains right now. it really is a worst case scenario. situation is something we really haven't seen in colorado before. also really worth mentioning to talk 20 largest wildfires or c history and all of her in the past 20 years. and so change is written. there is one of those

things we'll see manifest and extreme weather. and this is kind of latest. all right, meteorologist matthew poochie. thank you for that insight. if you're russian president vladimir putin and his american counterpart jo bud and spoke for nearly an hour on thursday as tensions rise over russia's troop build up near the ukrainian border in their 2nd talk this month, biden demanded a di escalation and threatened russia with new sanctions. but potent war and that such measures would cause a complete rupture of ties. despite a long list of differences, both sides agreed that progress was made on the call. more talks between senior us, russian, nato and european officials are expected in january. and for more on this we can bring in the w, correspond emily, sherwin in moscow. and emily, these were the 2nd talks this month between abiding and pollutant. you think any headways being made?

well, judging from the summaries that we saw from the kremlin and also from the white house on the one hand, a lot of the rhetoric that we heard yesterday in that talk between binding and pushing was kind of the same red lines. sanctions and threats were exchanged, but on the other hand, it does seem that some limited headway is being made. first of all, as he said, these are the 2nd talks between biden and put and they almost lasted an hour talking in these 10 times is important in and of itself. and one of hooton's aids unity you shot shot call said yesterday that the talks were open, substantial and concrete. and he also said that apparently biden gave, put in some, a guarantee that there would not be us offensive weapons in ukraine. now if that is true, then that would be very important. put, it has been talking

a lot in recent weeks about the various flight times of missiles if they're launched in eastern europe. if they're launched in ukraine, how long it would take them to reach moscow. and one of the demands that russia has been issuing is for nato not to be able to station any missiles near russian borders. that's one of the demands that russia has issued in recent weeks to the u . s. a. just a reminder that russia is, of course, also pushing against nato expansion towards the east. they don't want ukraine in particular to join nato. futon has made it clear that that is really a red line for russia. that's about spheres of influence, of course, but also about security and is by and really did give that guarantee to put in yesterday. then that would be some movement. then we would be seeing some movement on those talks. you know, just a quick last question. if i made, there would be more talks in january with russia, but also with nato and the

o. s. e. so a whole bunch of countries around the table of involving russia. well, having more parties involved somehow make a solution easier. i think it's very important. i mean, russia has issued these demands to the u. s. directly, but i think even put in nose when it comes to nato, you have to talk with all the nato countries. and of course, these talks with the o. s. c, e are important because they bring ukraine to the table. and both leaders have been extensively discussing ukraine, essentially without ukraine being at the table. so i think that's very important. and putin has wanted talks all along, experts say, so if that's what he wanted, than, than, that's what he'll be getting in january, a whole range of talks. ok, we'll be looking forward to your comments on the question in the weeks to come. the w correspondent, emily sure, when, thanks so much. let's take a look now at some of the latest developments in the pandemic. frances public

health agency says on the chron has become the dominant corona virus drain in the country. french authorities registered a major surgeon infections in the past few days. ireland has joined a number of countries cutting the oscillation period. for some people with coven, 19 authorities are also relaxing requirements for tests after a record number of cases overwhelmed testing facilities. hong kong has recorded it's 1st community transmission in about 3 months. authority say an air crew member broke home quarantine rules by going to a restaurant where he passed the on a crowned variant to his father and another person there. some uplifting news. however, on the pandemic from south africa, government officials have lifted overnight, curfews and say it's possible the country may be over the peak of on the crone. the variant was detected and gow tang province at the end of november. sick patients were expected to overwhelm the health care system, but that didn't happen. instead,

hospital rates decreased by the more contagious nature of alma crohn. now we're ahead of the new year. south africans are feeling somewhat hopeful. this was the epicenter of only krohn, but infections have dropped and residents of gutting province a basking in the relief as our local health care workers. me grown woe at a to prominent health care level definitely for the average patient cause as much milder symptoms than even delta. if i look at my own personal experience out of a 110 patients, we had to admit it from 3 to 4 patients. i'm not very severely you. the probability of landing in a hospital with only chron is 80 percent lower than the delta infections. experts say the reason is threefold. a great many people in south africa already have some

immunity against the virus due to past infections. secondly, the new variant is weaker, and thirdly, vaccines have helped almost 40 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. patients who nevertheless need hospitalization, are not severely sick. a severe he often hospitalisation often listen, we monitor how many needed oxygen or ethan. i see you more cynthia chemical cause i'm asked that he has seen it. so fiance, whose is when noted in those with some south africans wonder if oh, micron is a blessing in disguise. those who fall sick, i'm not too sick and the infection act as natural boosters around the world, people are getting ready to welcome the new year in new york city party

preparations are in full swing organizers illuminated and sent up the famous times square ball several times just to make sure it was working okay. the ball contains thousands of lights and crystals and on friday night, the authorities will lower the ball during the countdown. new york city will ray in 2022 in time square with a scale back celebration. despite record numbers of code, 19 infections in the city. and despite this being the 2nd year of crone of iris restrictions, it was nevertheless a busy year for the arts. and we have this look back at some of the cultural highlights of 2021. ah, habits sounds like they never went away. the years, most spectacular come back. maybe the come back of the decade. ah,

james bond took longer than ever before between missions. the pandemic pushed back the release date for the spy thriller, no time to die multiple times. you late. nonetheless, it was one of the year's biggest grossing films, marking daniel craigs last outing as double o 7. the year also saw spectacular museum openings the luma in the french city about a seamless, bland of art and architecture in rotterdam, the new depot of the boy immense 1000000000. the world's 1st public exhibition warehouse was lowe's. new monkey museum is the biggest devoted to a single artist at vod, mom. a version of the scream is on display the artists best known work.

this artwork doesn't need a museum for the 1st time christies auctioned a digital piece. the collage of 5000 individual images was created by american artist and computer scientist. people it fetched a record, some of around 60000000 euros a crazy. already do. i don't remember the hit south korean series squid game made waves around the world. south korean films and series have had more and more success internationally. as had the boy band, b t s, with their music. ah. perhaps the best gifted year was the gift of freedom for pop star britney spears. after her fans kept up the pressure with a hash tag free brittany,

her conservatorship was saw, her father control her fortune, and her life was ended in port they're watching. did it. the news from berlin coming up, but a chelsea's last paintings of hell. inspired by the poet danty in our deed of you documentary, more headlines than analysis. remember this always d w dot com? meanwhile, i'm nick spicer. thanks for watching. i ah ah, internet knows all.